The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins punched their ticket to the Calder Cup playoffs on Wednesday with a thrilling 3-2 overtime win over the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Unlike their NHL affiliate, the Pittsburgh Penguins, WBS will qualify for the postseason for the second straight season and the third time in the past four years, missing the playoffs in 2022-23.
Last year, the baby Penguins were swept in two games by their cross-state rivals, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Before that series, they were swept by the Springfield Thunderbirds in three games in the first round of the 2021-22 Calder Cup playoffs.
WBS advanced to face the Thunderbirds thanks to a win in the qualifying round over the Hershey Bears in three games, earning a 4-3 overtime win in Game 3. That game occurred on May 9, 2022, which happened to be the same night when Pittsburgh defeated the New York Rangers 7-2 at PPG Paints Arena.
Interestingly, both teams would lose their next three playoff games that season and be eliminated on the same day, May 15, 2022, in one-goal games: Pittsburgh lost 4-3 in overtime, and WBS lost 7-6.
As mentioned, Pittsburgh hasn’t skated in a playoff game since May 15, 2022, and WBS hasn’t won a game since May 9, 2022. Considering that the baby Penguins are one of the top teams in the AHL this season, there’s an excellent chance they will snap the organization’s playoff-winless streak next month.
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